West Virginia? No…the San Diego Wild Animal Park! Two of my friends from home, Jen and Fallon, were visiting the beaches of LA, so we made plans to meet at the Wild Animal Park for a day.
Jen and I grew up in San Diego, and we had fond memories of spending days and days at this incredible park. We were so excited to visit again! As I pulled into the parking lot, I was all jittery like a little kid! Having to wait for them to get there was almost unbearable, as I wanted to relive my childhood right then. Jen, Fallon, and Jen’s Aunt arrived and we excitedly pushed through the colorful paintings into the park.
Being the tourists that we were, we took pictures with all of the signs and fun statues. The park is themed around Africa, and as Jen and her Aunt had both been there, we wanted to see just how realistic things were. As a child, the park seemed like a huge wilderness, with animals running free, and our imaginations running wild. As an adult, the park is more like a zoo, with cheesy attractions to spend money on, and little kids running around everywhere.
We started in the petting zoo, then moved on to feed the Lorikeets. My Lorikeet was missing a great deal of feathers, and an attendant explained to us that they had been pecked out and that he didn’t have a disease. Hmm….the bird flu? I haven’t come down with anything yet, but time will tell.
And we saw a flamingo that was dying. Fallon and Sandy said it was just sleeping, but Jen and I were convinced that it was on it’s last leg…seriously. After the Lorikeets, we ventured out to find the train ride. The train ride was the greatest thing about the wild animal park, and the biggest thing that stuck out in our childhood memories. We were soooo excited!
We looked at the map, but we didn’t see it, so we asked an attendant, who pointed us in the direction of a small tram ride. That didn’t seem right, but we were excited to sit down and peer over “Africa.” The tram was neat, and more like what I remembered. We drove about, looking at rhinos and giraffes, gazelle, and long-horned cows, all ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over the adorable new babies and taking pictures along the way.
But the tour only lasted 20 minutes, and we remembered it being longer. As we discussed the fact that we both couldn’t be remembering something incorrectly, the woman in front of us turned around and told us that they got rid of the train last year. Apparently, it was continually breaking down, and the parts were no longer being manufactured, so it was extremely expensive to fix.
So, rather than put a new one in, they turned the park into a walking park and opened up the small tram tour. What?!?! This is what made the park so incredible and so awesome. You felt like you were on awesome adventure, going over bridges over the lions playground and driving through the trees until the expanse opened to reveal giraffes and elephants. It was extremely disappointing. Now you had to walk? And you couldn’t see nearly as many things from the walkways.
Jen and I lamented over not being able to relive our childhood memories, and then we laughed at how we were going to be those people who tell the stories of “when I was your age.” (
Look at the map Okay...the yellow park used to be the train ride...like...the entire park. The purple part is the new train ride.) I took pictures of the old tracks...sadness... One nice addition to the park is the research center that is supposed to emulate an old research camp in Africa. It’s a hands-on experience, so you can interact with everything and actually touch things. We had some good times there, and took some entirely inappropriate pictures, considering Jen is getting her PhD in Africana Studies, and I am getting a Masters in TESOL and am supposed to be culturally sensitive.
It was still the perfect photo opportunity! Despite the great disappointment of the tram being gone, it was still a great day at the park. It is still a neat place, and I enjoyed seeing the animals and being outside on a warm San Diego day. We enjoyed a nice little picnic outside of the park, and meandered to look at the elephants, the cheetahs, and the lions. It was great enjoying San Diego with Virginians, and I hope we get to enjoy more wonderful days with visitors! :)
Jen and I grew up in San Diego, and we had fond memories of spending days and days at this incredible park. We were so excited to visit again! As I pulled into the parking lot, I was all jittery like a little kid! Having to wait for them to get there was almost unbearable, as I wanted to relive my childhood right then. Jen, Fallon, and Jen’s Aunt arrived and we excitedly pushed through the colorful paintings into the park. 
Being the tourists that we were, we took pictures with all of the signs and fun statues. The park is themed around Africa, and as Jen and her Aunt had both been there, we wanted to see just how realistic things were. As a child, the park seemed like a huge wilderness, with animals running free, and our imaginations running wild. As an adult, the park is more like a zoo, with cheesy attractions to spend money on, and little kids running around everywhere. 
We started in the petting zoo, then moved on to feed the Lorikeets. My Lorikeet was missing a great deal of feathers, and an attendant explained to us that they had been pecked out and that he didn’t have a disease. Hmm….the bird flu? I haven’t come down with anything yet, but time will tell. 
And we saw a flamingo that was dying. Fallon and Sandy said it was just sleeping, but Jen and I were convinced that it was on it’s last leg…seriously. After the Lorikeets, we ventured out to find the train ride. The train ride was the greatest thing about the wild animal park, and the biggest thing that stuck out in our childhood memories. We were soooo excited! 
We looked at the map, but we didn’t see it, so we asked an attendant, who pointed us in the direction of a small tram ride. That didn’t seem right, but we were excited to sit down and peer over “Africa.” The tram was neat, and more like what I remembered. We drove about, looking at rhinos and giraffes, gazelle, and long-horned cows, all ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over the adorable new babies and taking pictures along the way. 
But the tour only lasted 20 minutes, and we remembered it being longer. As we discussed the fact that we both couldn’t be remembering something incorrectly, the woman in front of us turned around and told us that they got rid of the train last year. Apparently, it was continually breaking down, and the parts were no longer being manufactured, so it was extremely expensive to fix. 
So, rather than put a new one in, they turned the park into a walking park and opened up the small tram tour. What?!?! This is what made the park so incredible and so awesome. You felt like you were on awesome adventure, going over bridges over the lions playground and driving through the trees until the expanse opened to reveal giraffes and elephants. It was extremely disappointing. Now you had to walk? And you couldn’t see nearly as many things from the walkways. 
Jen and I lamented over not being able to relive our childhood memories, and then we laughed at how we were going to be those people who tell the stories of “when I was your age.” (Look at the map Okay...the yellow park used to be the train ride...like...the entire park. The purple part is the new train ride.) I took pictures of the old tracks...sadness... One nice addition to the park is the research center that is supposed to emulate an old research camp in Africa. It’s a hands-on experience, so you can interact with everything and actually touch things. We had some good times there, and took some entirely inappropriate pictures, considering Jen is getting her PhD in Africana Studies, and I am getting a Masters in TESOL and am supposed to be culturally sensitive. 
It was still the perfect photo opportunity! Despite the great disappointment of the tram being gone, it was still a great day at the park. It is still a neat place, and I enjoyed seeing the animals and being outside on a warm San Diego day. We enjoyed a nice little picnic outside of the park, and meandered to look at the elephants, the cheetahs, and the lions. It was great enjoying San Diego with Virginians, and I hope we get to enjoy more wonderful days with visitors! :) 
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